Star-Making Moments Highlights Great American XC Festival
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The 2024 Great American XC Festival marked the largest meet in the event's history, and it certainly delivered on its promise. The competition showcased an exhilarating blend of talent, with standout individual performances, heartwarming redemption stories, and dominant team efforts that left the crowd captivated. Athletes pushed themselves to the limit, chasing personal bests and team victories, making this year's festival truly unforgettable.
Among the most impressive performances was that of sophomore Marcelo Mantecon, who clinched the win with a stellar time of 14:40.20-a new personal record by 8 seconds. After finishing 3rd in last year's race with a time of 14:48.0, Mantecon returned stronger and more determined, demonstrating his rapid development. His victory represents a significant milestone in his young career, building on a stellar freshman season where he placed 23rd at Nike Cross Nationals. Mantecon also helped the Belen Jesuit Preparatory boys to the team title, 152 points over Marvin Ridge who scored 200 points.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Marcelo Mantecon | 10 | Belen Jesuit Preparatory School | 14:40.20 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Soheib Dissa | 12 | Newtown High School | 14:50.50 | ||
| 3 |  Tommy Latham | 12 | Marist | 14:51.90 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Nicholas Mazzeo | 11 | Lower Merion | 14:52.20 | 3 | |
| 5 |  Brady Mullen | 12 | Jesuit | 14:56.60 | 4 |
Close behind Mantecon was Soheib Dissa, who ran an impressive 14:50.50, shattering his personal best by 36 seconds and breaking the 15-minute barrier for the first time. Both performances underscored the high level of competition and the bright future ahead for these young athletes.
A year after finishing in 5th place, it was Colonial Forge senior Kate Loescher claiming victory with a time of 17:26.70 in a tight competition, where the top nine finishers were separated by just 17 seconds. Loescher edged out Carolina Areheart of Webb School of Knoxville, who finished second in 17:31.00, and James W. Robinson's Karina Bird, who took third in 17:35.00. Rounding out the top five were Caitlin Kasten of Covenant Day School (17:36.10) and North Cross senior Kerrigan Chaney (17:37.10), in one of the closest finishes of the meet.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kate Loescher | 12 | Colonial Forge | 17:26.70 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Carolina Areheart | 11 | Webb School of Knoxville | 17:31.00 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Karina Bird | 10 | James W. Robinson | 17:35.00 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Caitlin Kasten | 10 | Covenant Day School | 17:36.10 | ||
| 5 |  Kerrigan Chaney | 12 | North Cross | 17:37.10 | ||
| 6 |  Hannah Rae Shaffer | 12 | Cardinal Gibbons | 17:38.10 | 4 | |
| 7 |  Katie Payne | 12 | Tatnall | 17:39.10 | ||
| 8 |  Elle Dawson | 9 | Ragsdale | 17:42.30 | ||
| 9 |  Morgan Miller | 11 | First Flight | 17:43.50 | 5 |
In the girls team race, it was the Cardinal Gibbons girls taking home yet another major team title, just two weeks after taking home the Roy Griak title in Minnesota. They avenged their runner-up status from last year's meet, taking home the title with a dominant score of 83 points, 51 points ahead of the runner-up. Leading them was Hannah Rae Shaffer who finished 6th overall, freshman Kaitlyn Estep who finished 14th overall, and senior Addy Mitchell who finished 17th overall; all with times under 18 minutes.